This weekend Sukhin and I celebrated our five year friendship anniversary via a video WhatsApp dinner date.

Even though Sukhin was in North Carolina, USA and I was in London, UK, it felt like we were in the same place. It was just like when we were room mates enjoying a home cooked dinner together in Montana.

Our original plan was to meet in real life. However, due to the COVID19 global pandemic this was not possible.

During this difficult time, our thoughts go out to everyone not able to see their loved ones.

We felt so lucky to be able to still support each other through the use of technology. We also felt so lucky to have food on our plates.

This pandemic is affecting everyone across the globe. Many don’t have the security of knowing where their next meal is coming from.

This week I also reconnected with another friend in Mumbai. I hear that India is also in lockdown and the police are are being strict.

In India people are having to chose between going hungry or being safe. My friend sent me pictures from his window. The streets are completely empty. Mumbai, home to 30 million people, today looks like a ghost town.

This article in The Economist outlines the fact that we need to support poorer countries – not only because it’s the right moral thing to do, but because we can’t solve this pandemic otherwise.

With many countries now in lockdown being stuck at home can be awful, especially when the news is constantly causing us added anxiety.

In the UK we are fortunate enough to be allowed out for exercise once a day as long as we socially distance ourselves. Meaning we don’t get closer than 2 m from anyone that we don’t live with. It’s times like this when we realise what really matters to us. It gives us time to reflect and slow down.

I hope when we come out of this period we’ll have learnt a lot and our behaviours will change for the better.

Nature is showing us that our behaviour is having an impact on the environment: canals in Venice, for instance, are now cleaner, and air pollution levels have dropped drastically.

I’m not saying that this epidemic is in any way positive. It is causing a tremendous amount of suffering to so many of us. But the knock-on benefit to the environment does seem to be something of a silver lining.

Another heartening positive factor is the way in which communities are now coming together and helping each other; neighbours who previously didn’t communicate are now showing concern for those who are vulnerable and elderly. Volunteers are delivering food to door steps of those who are suffering. Whats more, technology is being harnessed in a positive way to assist those of us in society who need support and assistance. The goodness of human nature is being brought to the surface like never before. These developments should be celebrated.